Three of five people charged with dealing heroin in Franklin and Cumberland counties are being linked to an overdose death last month in Lurgan Township.

The Record Herald staff

Three of five people charged with dealing heroin in Franklin and Cumberland counties are being linked to an overdose death last month in Lurgan Township.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Gabriel John Stouffer, 30, of Newburg and Ashley Gries, 19, Danny Guy Forrester, 48, Michael Anthony DeCarlo, 31, and Jeffrey Lynn Wright Jr., 31, all of Shippensburg, were arrested and arraigned by Chief Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson in federal court in Harrisburg Wednesday.

Gries, Forrester and Stouffer were also charged with drug trafficking offenses that led to the death of 21-year-old Kyle Andrew Golter on Feb. 7.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Franklin County Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner determined that Golter died of heroin toxicity.

“This case was initiated as the result of the heroin overdose death in Franklin County. Heroin overdoses are an all-too-common occurrence. Between 2009 and mid-2013, Franklin County had five heroin-related overdose deaths, and there were 25 in Cumberland County during the same period,” said David G. Dongilli, Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge.

“This is due in part to its availability and the fact that it has never been cheaper or more potent,” he continued. “Heroin doesn’t just kill people; it causes serious health problems, breaks up families, and destroys communities. DEA will continue to aggressively target traffickers and distributors bringing heroin and other drugs, including highly addictive prescription pain medications, into our communities.”

Gries, Forrester, Stouffer, DeCarlo and Wright were charged by indictment on March 19 by a grand jury in Harrisburg. According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, the indictment made public Wednesday alleges they sold heroin in the Franklin and Cumberland county areas from October 2013 through March 2014.

Gries, Forrester and Stouffer each face a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. DeCarlo and Wright face a maximum of 40 years in prison.

This case is being jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Shippensburg Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Cumberland County Drug Task Force, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Franklin County Coroner. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor.

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